I don’t want to spend the rest of my life giving speeches.

Talk low, talk slow and don’t say too much.

When I speak at my local church, which I try to do 35 to 40 times a year, I try in every lesson to take the Old Testament text or New Testament text and apply them to what is happening to me or how that applies to the audience that I’m teaching in a modern, fast-changing, technological world. I use headlines, interfaith and that sort of thing.

I stand here before you not as a prophet, but as a humble servant of you, the people.

Women have to be active listeners and interrupters – but when you interrupt, you have to know what you are talking about.

Only the prepared speaker deserves to be confident.

You can disagree without being disagreeable.

I liked school, but I used to dread those moments when the teacher would call me up to give an oral report. I forced myself to deal with it and not dwell on the class in front of me – to keep a straight face, give the report and concentrate on getting it right. That’s normally how I perform. That’s how I am.

In making a speech one must study three points: first, the means of producing persuasion; second, the language; third the proper arrangement of the various parts of the speech.

I don’t have any oratory skills. But I would not use them if I had.

Communication is a skill that you can learn. It’s like riding a bicycle or typing. If you’re willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of evry part of your life.

I’m not very articulate.

When things haven’t gone well for you, call in a secretary or a staff man and chew him out. You will sleep better and they will appreciate the attention.

I’m mortified to be on the stage, but then again, it’s the only place where I’m happy.

I could never give relationship advice to anybody!

Conflict cannot survive without your participation.

I write all of my own speeches.

Resist the need to be ‚right‘ all the time or to always have the last word.

When I talked to him on the phone yesterday. I called him George rather than Mr. Vice President. But, in public, it’s Mr. Vice President, because that is who he is.

It could be if I fight in front of one person or one million people. It’s still the same emotions.

If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time – a tremendous whack.

As a matter of fact, I didn’t make a political speech outside of my state for 20 years.

When I was younger and did a stand-up gig, it would take me two weeks to recover. Sometimes I’d get so panicked that I would stutter.

I don’t even know how to speak up for myself, because I don’t really have a father who would give me the confidence or advice.

Forty is when you actually begin even deserving to be on stage telling people what you think.

When you make a TV show, they always say you’re a guest in someone’s home. Online, you’re a guest in someone’s face. So that’s why I try to make it sound and look and feel very inviting and attractive, because I know that I’m in your face.

I love it when people say things to me in public and want to meet me, because I want to meet them! Early on, my manager told me, ‚If you want to sell 500,000 records, then go out there and meet 500,000 people.‘

The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.

Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment.

I worked with Congress on legislation, gave speeches to CEOs, military generals and Hollywood executives. But I also worked to ensure that my efforts would resonate with kids and families – and that meant doing things in a creative and unconventional way. So, yeah, I planted a garden and hula-hooped on the White House lawn with kids.

I thought my life was mapped out. Research, living in the forest, teaching and writing. But in ’86 I went to a conference and realised the chimpanzees were disappearing. I had worldwide recognition and a gift of communication. I had to use them.

I realised a little bit to my astonishment that I can give a lecture for a thousand people, and there will be this tumultuous applause, so, you know, I have the feeling well, it can’t be all that bad.

One of the issues I kept saying to my students is you have to learn to interrupt. When you raise your hand at a meeting, by the time they get to you, the point is not germane. So the bottom line is active listening. If you are going to interrupt, you look for opportunities. You have to know what you’re talking about.

A career is born in public – talent in privacy.

I don’t think there is a single social issue I haven’t spoken on.

In retrospect, I can see I couldn’t talk to people face to face, so I got on stage and started screaming and squealing and twitching about. Ha! Like, that sure made sense!

In my opinion, the only way to conquer stage fright is to get up on stage and play. Every time you play another show, it gets better and better.

The mark of a true politician is that he is never at a loss for words because he is always half-expecting to be asked to make a speech.

You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.

At first, I wasn’t really keen on the idea of me being on stage having to sing in front of people.

Transforming yourself into a deep listener will not only prove more amusing as you open your mind to their mind, but you will gain the most invaluable lessons about human psychology.

So when I speak in front of thousands, tens of thousands of people, I don’t really get nervous because I know what I want to say and I know what message I want to give.

The trouble with her is that she lacks the power of conversation but not the power of speech.

Read my lips: no new taxes.

When you make as many speeches and you talk as much as I do and you get away from the text, it’s always a possibility to get a few words tangled here and there.

Before I refuse to take your questions, I have an opening statement.

I have never talked publicly or privately about the Jewish people, including conversations with President Nixon, except in the most positive terms.

Reacting in anger or annoyance will not advance one’s ability to persuade.

PowerPoint makes us stupid.

I’ve always had to conquer fear when I’m on stage. Basically, I was and still am a very shy person. It’s absolutely in conflict with what I do. But once I deliver the first joke I’m okay. It’s like I’m out there all by myself just delivering my lines to nobody in particular without ever trying to notice the audience in front of me.

Example is leadership.

I don’t write the books. God writes the books and delivers the speeches.

When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.

If one could only teach the English how to talk, and the Irish how to listen, society here would be quite civilized.

I was always taught not to answer no questions. I’m not really good at answering them because I get agitated so fast.

A man may speak very well in the House of Commons, and fail very completely in the House of Lords. There are two distinct styles requisite: I intend, in the course of my career, if I have time, to give a specimen of both.

Speakers who talk about what life has taught them never fail to keep the attention of their listeners.

There’s something about being in front of a live audience that’s fun. It’s a really interesting, very electric, very alive, and intense experience, and you can’t get it anywhere else. And I’ve been doing it since I was 23, so it’s part of my being – it’s part of my fabric as a person.

The most important thing for a director is being able to communicate.

I never lecture, not because I am shy or a bad speaker, but simply because I detest the sort of people who go to lectures and don’t want to meet them.

I still get very scared when I step in front of a live audience.